be still . . .

The situation frustrated her. She grappled with it, wrestled with her emotions, but in her youth and inexperience, she could not triumph. It seemed to her to be a mass of knotted string. Again and again she plunged her hands into it; again and again she withdrew unfulfilled and impatient. Finally she pulled her clumsy fingers out of the mess and slumped back in her chair. Pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes, she muttered the truth that she had fought for so long: "You are God."

I am the LORD your God, I and no other.

Everywhere she turned, darkness stared at her. She wanted to run, but she was surrounded, trapped by fear and worry. Though wiser than she had been, she saw no escape. Gritting her teeth, she flung herself against the walls, determined to get out. Her strength was spent quickly. The walls still stood. Whimpering, she dropped to the ground and curled into a ball, waiting for her defeat to come. In moved the fear, gathering so thickly it nearly suffocated her. As she thought she was slipping away, there was a flash of light, a clap of thunder, a rush of wind. In a moment, all her oppressors had fled. She pushed herself up on her hands, her eyes bright, and gasped, "You are God."

I am the LORD your God, ever-present, ever-living: I AM.

The lines around her eyes deepened as she drifted into thought. Her mind wandered to places she had been, people she had seen, feelings she had experienced. A flood of thoughts washed away the present and the future, and she felt herself floating away on the wave of the past. The memories of gifts she'd been given, miracles she'd witnessed, and love she'd received brought a smile to her face. The smile faded as she remembered wounds, battles, wrongs that had come from her soul, and wrongs that had been flung at her. She tipped her face up, studying the dust in a sunbeam. She had many scars, but she was still whole. A gentle smile lit her face, and she murmured, "You are God."

I am the LORD your God, mighty and powerful, Lord of lords, King of kings.

Now an old woman, she lay on her bed, waiting for the guest who would take her Home. She did not fear him, though he came as a stranger. She knew he would bring her to One she loved well. Her family and friends gathered around her, but she was oblivious to their presence. "I've lived many years," she rasped, her eyes on the ceiling. "And You have taught me many things. I've learned that You are God, and I am not. I saw that You are God, and never fail. I know that You are God, to be kept in awe. You are all-powerful, ever-present, and always worthy of worship." Her breath caught, and she paused, regaining strength. "Now, Lord," she managed in a pained whisper. "Take me Home, that I may know You fully, even as I am fully known by You." She closed her eyes, waiting for and trusting her God.

Be still and know that I AM GOD—your Master, your Rescuer, your Father, your Friend, your Lover.

Be still.
Know Me.